This invention relates generally to devices for temporarily anchoring at least two portions of fabric together and more particularly to devices that penetrate the portions of the fabric that are to be anchored.
Various devices are known for temporarily anchoring two portions of fabric together, often to close an opening in a garment. Some examples are buttons and button holes, hooks and eyelets, snaps, and zippers. Each of the aforementioned anchoring devices includes a pair of mating members, with each member secured to a respective portion of the fabric in a fixed location. Consequently, the positions of the two portions of the fabric relative to each other, when the fastening devices are mutually engaged, are predetermined.
Some garments are intended to be worn such that two or more portions overlap each other to a varying extent selected by the user, to provide a custom fit, and be temporarily anchored together in the selected position. One example of such a garment is the cloth diaper worn by infants, toddlers, bedridden invalids and the like. Typically, the diaper is folded such that a front portion extends between the legs and up over the pubic region and two opposed side portions wrap about the hips to overlie the front portion at each side. Each of the side portions are desirably anchored to the front portion, and the amount of overlap between the side portions and the front portion is adjusted so that the diaper fits snugly about the waist above the hips so that it will not fall off easily. Typically, the overlapping portions of the diaper are pinned together with so-called safety pins.
Conventionally, a safety pin comprises a single length of wire wound into a single-coil spring at about midlength, leaving two legs extending from the single-coil spring in a V-shape. The single-coil spring tends to splay the legs apart and compression of the two legs toward each other is resisted by the spring. One leg is sharpened to a pin-point at its free end. The other leg has a safety clasp fixed to its free end. The safety clasp is configured to receive and cover the pin-point when the two legs are compressed and fastened together. The pin-pointed leg is secured within the safety clasp by the bias provided by the single-coil spring.
The conventional safety pin described above is used by inserting the pin-point through-one side of the overlapping portions of the garment to the other side, and then re-inserting the pin-point back through both overlapped portions of the garment to emerge on the one side, at a location displaced from the first insertion point. The displacement is a distance less than the distance from the pin-point to the single-coil spring. The pin-point emerging from the garment on the one side is then secured within the safety clasp, with the single-coil spring and the safety clasp both being on the same side of the garment.
One limitation of the conventional safety pin used as described above is that only the pin-pointed leg can be used to penetrate the garment. The fabric of the garment cannot slide past the single-coil spring and can be entangled and torn if it comes in contact with the single-coil spring. Therefore, the amount of garment fabric that can be pinned together is limited by the length of the pin-pointed leg of the pin.
Another limitation of the conventional safety pin is that securement of the pin-pointed leg of the pin by the safety clasp is not always effective. For example, the safety clasp can release the pin-point, if the thickness of the fabric being pinned stresses and deforms the safety clasp. It is also possible for the pin-point to slip out of the safety clasp when the pinned portions of the garment are under strain during the physical activity of the wearer of the pinned garment. Because the single-coil spring tends to splay the legs of the safety pin, should the pin-point slip out of the safety clasp the pin-point will be propelled outwardly under spring force. This presents a distinct hazard to the wearer of the garment because the sharp, spring loaded, pin-point can easily stick and injure the wearer. Such an occurrence is particularly undesirable when the garment is a diaper and the wearer, such as an infant or child, is helpless against possible serious injury.
In view of the above limitations and hazards of the conventional safety pin, there is an ongoing need and desire for a simple fabric anchor that avoids the problems of the foregoing prior art. The present invention provides a fabric anchor that eliminates the need for a spring-loaded pin-point, permits a greater portion of the fabric to be penetrated and anchored, and minimizes the risk of injury to the wearer.
The present invention involves in one preferred embodiment a self-fastening fabric anchor having at least one flexible elongate anchor member having first and second ends. The first end has an elongate male element extending axially therefrom. The second end has a female element therein. The elongate male element of the anchor is sized to be received axially in a friction fit or, alternatively, an interference fit, within the female element of the anchor member. The fit presents sufficient resistance to fasten the male element in engaging relationship within the female element and retain the male element therein, yet permit the male element to be withdrawn upon application of sufficient disengaging axial tension to overcome the resistance to withdrawal.
In other preferred embodiments, a fabric anchor has first and second ends each sized and configured to axially mate with a second fabric anchor in friction fit engagement or, alternatively, in interference fit engagement.
Some benefits of the present invention over the prior art fabric pinning devices include reducing the risk of injury to the wearer by eliminating the use of a spring-loaded pin-point. Another benefit is that a greater portion of the fabric can be anchored since there is no spring coil to block the length of fabric penetrated. Still another benefit is that the user can tailor the fabric anchor of this invention by mixing and matching anchor members for anchoring variable fabric thicknesses. The inventive fabric anchor is also advantageously simple and inexpensive to manufacture.
Other aspects and advantages of the present invention will be apparent from the description of the preferred embodiments below made with reference to the drawings.